Method of operating aerial vehicles



Sept. 4, 1934. s. MORSE METHOD OF OPERATING AERIAL VEHICLES Filed Jan. 28. 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR Sterne Morse BY EM & EYS

ATTORN Sept. 4, 1934. s. MORSE v METHD OF OPERATING AERIAL VEHICLES Filed Jan. 28. 19

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Sterne Morse BY m mm ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 4, 1934 PATENT OFFICE SterneMorse, Richmond Heights; Ohio Applicationfllanuary 2a, 1931, Serial No. 511,748

g reclaims.

invention has to do, a method of operation I for .vehicles traveling in the air-.- Itsgreatest fieldl'iesawith thosezthat are approximatelyttheesame weight as the air they displace, such as rigid airships' of: the Zeppelin type. It m'ayhave application toivehicles'of a type hybrid between those. and airplanes proper, as will later:

beldescrib'ed.

a :The-primarycbject of this invention is to utilize the:-:space. :commonly given-up in airships'. of the lightenthanv-airclass to the carryingeof passengers, crew freighm motors andthe like for buoyant purposes, and; "conversely to add to this useful space that part of the volume of the ship now use'ddorbuoyant: purposes, or'a large part of it.

Another-{object is the provision of a mixture :of

a" buoyant; chemically inactive gas, such as hermetically sealed and which. is filled with a gas mixture which is'both buoyant and respirable; 3

Another object' -is to replacethe space which is used in vehicles" lighter-thanair for buoyancy piirposes onl-yg'wholly orilpartly-by space" which has; on the one hand, the purpose or affording or assisting: in buoyancy andin providing, on j the" one h-andj: living quarters for crew and' -passengersg on-th e other harid space for motors and other machinery an'd-lfor freiglit nnother cbje'ct is to provide a method of trimming' and adjusting bucyancy wliich will not me volve the loss of ballast or buoyant gas-in any ordinary casefi @Another object is the provision ofmeansior removing from such a 'ccnfinedbody 'of helium and oxygen the' carbon dioxide developed as a resultof respirationor =other combustion, such means regenerated. I

f Another object-11's" the provisionof means where by leakage\ofgvaluablezgasfrom the aerostatsis ai'selylpr v n d. w Another object isthe provision of means wherebylza'irships' .ofthe type: outlined herein: maybe converrient1y:docked; entered, loaded; etc.,: Without loss ofzizaluablegaseby theilprovisiorriof simple and. convenient-types ofigasellock;

j principle concerningmixtures' of gases do-Xnot reactwith OBETEtlflGthCl-fi isthat each gas reacts physically and:.chemically*astthough it aloneiwerepresentl; flonexample, thepressure of amixturenfhelium'andoxygen in aspace isthe sum czfiathepressurewhich that=.amom1t:o helium would exert in that space, if pure, andthat prec surewhich the-oxygen, if pure, wouldsimilarly exert, and these pressures, commonly called partial pressures, bear that proportion tetherespecti-ve numbers of molecules of the'twotypes of gas present which the total number bears to the total pressure.

The atmosphere which we breathe containsabout2-1% by weightoi-oxygen, corresponding-to a partialpressure-of about-,145 mm; of mercury when the total pressureis 760 mm, Theother constitutents, except for carbondioxide andwatervapor, are nitrogen and argon and the other noble gases, all of them relatively or completely, inactivechemically. The carbon dioxide infresh up air-exists'in sesmall an amount thatit can'be' neglected, as can, for our purposes, the water-vapor: In the case,qtherefore, of chemical indif ference of the other constituents, the respirabilityr of a givengas mixture depends solely on the abs0'-- 3 lute amountci oxygen present; in'other words;- on thenumerical amount oiits partialipressure". inthe mixture. We'can live without-realizing; the difference if the atmosphere is pure oxygenatapressure corresponding to its partial pressure in an ordinary-atmosphere. And, in fact, this pressure-can be sensibly decreased without greatly affecting-the ease'ot living, as no great difiiculty; is. encountered in living. at altitudes where. the total pressureshas dropped 005% mm., or less; and. the partial pressure-of the oxygen toloemmz, or'less. And, inparticular, thenitrogen may be substituted by another indifierent gas-without the person realizing the changagexcept inv some physical way as the increased heat conductivityot; the latterrgasover nitrogen- V A mixture of. heliumand oxygenin which the partial pressure of oxygen is 100mm. of mercury; will, therefore not only support respiration; but will permit-useful work to be carriedon within; it 1 Such amixtureris buoyant, having anaverage.- molecular weight ofqabout 7:68, and will have a: litt. cfabout 73%"of: that. exerted by a'compiete vacuum; wherexpure helium would have a melee-- ularweighti 'of 4200; and 86;6% ,"I and hydrogen; 1 2.01; ands-3.2%; Air-hasanaverage molecular weight ofaboutiw. The densities OfI'gSSBS'BlFtHG same pressureare proportionate-to theiraverage' molecular weight.

Putting it another way, a person weighing 156* 1glbs; wouldsrequire: aboutzzfifio on; it. of. such'azintx ture to: supportlnsweiglit; and this= space pares fairly-wen with thatiassigned; to first-class passengers'intheaverage steamship.

Atr weighsraboutiofi percu; ft. at 68 and H5,

di l

-. double purpose.

standard pressure, and such a mixture of helium and oxygen Weighs about .020 lbs. a cubic foot, therefore, will support .055 lbs. of fabric and load.

It accordingly follows that if the passenger space in a vehicle lighter than air be provided with an atmosphere of such a character this space then becomes largely or wholly self-supporting, as is also the case with the crew andmachinery spaces. It becomes then possible to increase greatly the amount of passenger space with respect to the other elements of the airship, as it no longer represents dead Weight to be supported. For this reason it follows that an airship of .a given size isin.

method of passenger transportation from .one'

which is so expensive as to be hardly economically feasible to one which may be possibly the cheapest method of passenger transportation, and, at

any rate, able to compete successfully with other high class methods.

'l-Under certain circumstances all the buoyant space will be of this character, with the consequent full utilization of the space within for the This, in general, Will be the case where'the ship is to be used at relatively low altitudes, as, for example, when it is to make voyagesacross water.- When this is the case, the proportion of oxygen in the mixture will be sm'all,

and the amount of space'per passenger also com- 1 decrease the partial pressure of oxygen to a point where discomfort is'felt by crewand passengers. However, where it is necessary to rise tohigh altitudes, as, for example, during avoyag'e across the continent, it'will be necessary, in the first place, to assign a greater volume of buoyant gas per passenger on account ofthe decreased lift at high altitudes and also to start at sea level'with a-higher proportion of oxygen in theatmosphere which is to support respiration. Under these conditions an unnecessarily large amount of oxygenwould be carried if-the whole buoyant space Within the ship were filled with an oxygen helium mixture. While oxygen carried in this way does not itself result in appreciable load on the ship,

; the extra structure necessary to contain it does.

It is accordingly desirable to carry no more than is necessary to prevent undue decrease of its partial pressure during a trip, and it will be wise to have a certain proportion of the buoyant space filled with pure helium.

Example may be given of the relationships involved. If a-ship starts at sea level, the temperature being C. and ascends to 1000 feet, the: air displaced will weigh only 3.6% less at this altitude than at sea level, and the pressure will only decrease in like proportion. If air-filledballonets are used the decreased lift per .unit of volume of buoyant gas is exactly compensated for by the increased volume and the lift remains unchanged- If the partial pressure of oxygen, in the buoyant atmosphere-were 100 mm. of. mere curyat sea level it would be 96.4 mm. at-this level. This decrease would not be important. ..If,: on the other hand, it is necessary to rise to 10,000 feet altitude, as might be necessary to cross the continental divide at certain points,the pressure would diminish 31%, with the same proportional decreasefof the partial pressure of oxygen from that originally started with. It would be necessary to start accordingly .witha helium oxygen per day, and for a sedentary person may be as low as 12 cu. ft. As 10% consumption of oxygen per day may be allowed in a. voyage it would be wise in this case to have not over two-fifths. of the buoyant" space filled with respirable mixture, the remainder being filled with pure helium.

V Ventilation resolves itself into removing the expired carbon dioxide andadjusting the enclosed volume. This is most easily accomplished by a procedure similar to that used in the manufacture of carbon dioxide. The vitiated atmosphere within the ship is brought in contact with a spray of a. solution of sodium carbonate at room temperature. Such'a solution at this tempera.- ture has a vapor pressure as regards carbon dioxide which is low, and it will consequently absorb considerable carbon dioxide from a. gaseous m xture if the partial pressure of the latter in thegaseous mixture-is appreciable. It will also adjust'the humidity of the gaseous mixture to proper amounts. The soda solution is then boiled by the exhaustfrom the motors. Carbon dioxide is thus boiled ofi and expelled. The hot exhausted solution, and the wateryvapor and carbon dioxide are put into separate circulation systems for heating and cooking purposes, and if necessary may be cooled by a radiator system cooled by the outside atmosphere. The carbon dioxide may be expelled from the ship after the water vapor is condensed out of it, or it may serve other'purposes. k

- In certain cases a. simpler procedure may be desirable. We may, for example, have but one spray chamber to which. is supplied a. solution of lime water,; the lime water thereafter passing through a filter toremove the precipitated calcium' carbonate and being again passed through a sludgeof slaked lime. Owing to the greater alkalinity of lime water, a. smaller spray chamber wouldbe required and in general the apparatus would be much simpler and lighter. Operation of this type of an absorber means progressive loss In the process of body oxidation, for the average 1 diet aboutnine-tenths of the volume of oxygen consumed by a person reappears as carbon dioxide. Assuming 20 cu. ft. average consumption of oxygen per diem, this would result in some 18 cu. ft. of carbon dioxide per person. A little over 2'lbs. of carbon. dioxide would be produ'c'd per diem on an average, and for this it would be necessary to carry about 2 lbs. of unslaked lime, the water in the process being used over and. over. Circumstances would dictate which of the two methods, or whether other more eflicient'methods for the absorption of carbon dioxide, would be used in a'given case.

The extent to which balloons may be caused to rise is ordinarily adjusted by valving on lifting gas, or by dropping ballast. Another method is possible which has the advantage that it is reversiblev in action. :Suppose that we are carrying in liquid. or solid form a body of gas which has means:

we cameasllyconvertzthe lthe'.. solid ori 'form to the gaseous and." vice verse; 9 As we convertpthe gas to. a: gaseous form' Irormthemore condensed state; we.- zmust distendza gasholderwith itoutsideof the main body ofthe aerostat.. Inthis way we secure-increased vol-. was with the same 'weight'and in this way: increaseftotal buoyancy. And 'byliquefying or' soliditying such a gas. we abstracttvolume. without. changesm weight. This processis equallyeilicaciouszwhatever thedensity'of. thewgas; Carbon dioxide, whileitthas certainaadvantage as regards easy availability, has .'some=disadvantages; particularly as regards: the spressure necessary tbsliquefy; :It. has the important ad'- vantage: of." solidifying: easily. and when? in" this condition maybe preserved without heavy'vesse-ls' to'eontainsit. The gasevaporation Jirom the solid: material will perform all the; refrigeration necessary on board; and will serve to cool the corn-i wessedigastdliqueiaction: .1

H I-"am aware that it hasbeenproposed touse ammonia: gas in a somewhatisimilar manner. That is, it has beenrproposed tozcarryva supply of: ammonia gas in a separate. ballonet and. to. dissolveany: desired amount in the water. ballast to 'decrease lift. While ammonia Tgas hasthe :1 advantage of being somewhat lighter thanrair,

its weight is after-.a1l17/291that of air and-its. lifting-rvalueiis; therefore; small; It requires twicedts weight of water-for solution; The total weight .ofthe system will; therefore,;beconsiderably greater than that'of an equivalent volume. ofscarbon-dioxide. Ammonia is highly irritating" if respired even in. small percentages, which carbon-dioxide-isnot. Finally, suchasystem is not easily reversible. That is, we cannot'easilyobtain ammonia gas from theqsolutionv of it in.

water" while carbon dioxide can..be varied from the: gaseous state to the solid and .vice versawithgreatease. And it is to-beremembered that:

in passing from the solid toithei gaseous state fit has just as much :effect in increasing ithe absolute.

buoyancy ofthestructureas it-wouldif it: were hydrogen. as this is: a questionyof change of without change in weight; .1 1

u trimmingthe ship with "asgreat ease-as if water;

is'used and can, if necessary, beassra'pidly:vented. An adequate supply can again be obtained from the-motor exhaustgases oi? the: motors; as above described Finally, the power-usedinsolidiiying' its expansion; if desirable; v.

a A- structure involvingthe use.of the buoyant space for-purposesother. than buoyancy naturally contemplates a-rigid aerostat, difierencesiin volume of'the buoyant'gas beinga-ttained by variation in the volume of one ormoreballonets placed within-the space. These willordinarily be filled: with-air and communicate withthe outside atmosphere. A rigid wall can be ma'deffar.;more

I gas-tight'than can any flexible one; and in par tieular lends itself to.a;procedure:later-tobev described :to obviate the loss-oi helium to-a very;

large extent.

A further use of carbon dioxide is possible. If weehave the-wall confining the buoyant atmosphere: double; the space between. being cellular such as .wouldxbe obtained; for exaIi'1pIe; by ii'lt'e'r posing a very loosely: wovendabric between two approximately gais tiglit '-siirfa'ces, and if we then supply to: thisdntermediattz spacecarbon' dioxide recovered in atsa somewhat :greater pressure than thatreigningwithinthebuoyant space, such leakage as occurs .willibe inward, considering the inner gas-r tight partition only,.and the. passage of helium outwardwill be largely or wholly prevented; even if: considerable leakageoccurs. This'space canbe supplied from the carbon'dioxide existing withinone oftheb'allasting ballonets, and under these conditions the buoyancy of the'structuraexcept for passage of'carbon dioxide through the outer envelope; will not be afiected and the carbontdioxide can be-remove-d from the buoyant atmos' phere just; as 3 that resulting from respiration is:-

removed,;and at the same time. -An important advantage of such a wall is its lowheat conductivity. The heat conductivityof a given cellular structure is a function of the heat conductivity of the gasfilling the spaces, and the-heat conductivity of carbon dioxide is less thanthat of any common gas and only about one-twentieth that of, helium. A cellular wall filled with this gaswill accordinglyinsulate the ship to a very. marked degree.

There are several methods of filling which can be used. Thebest is probably the useof car: bon dioxide. as a displacing means. Owing tov its high density and low diffusion, carbondioxide, if introducedto the bottom of a container, will largely displacetheair in the container without mixing with it. If the air in the space is allowed to vent at the top it can nearly all be removedv before the percentage of carbon dioxide in the issuinggas becomes large. At thispoint, if desired, the carbon dioxide can be recovered from the issuing gas as above described, and returned, to the circulation and in this way the'air can be removed'to any desired degree. When this hasbeen accomplished the desired helium oxygen at,- mosphere. will be'let in at the top of the space, the carbon dioxide being removed at the bottom and liquefied, the unliquefiable fraction being returned tothe top of the space. centage of carbon dioxide has dropped to a'smallamount it will be necessary to remove it by abfso-rption, as elsewhere described.

As nitrogen will tend slowly, to diffuse into the space a repurification system will be desirable, and for-this absorption with charcoal will be suitable, this charcoal being cooled by the solid carbon dioxide, or the cold gas therefrom during absorption and heated by the exhaust during the pumping off. Helium'will not be appreciably absorbed, but both oxygen and nitrogen will be. I If this-process is carried out in'the hangar; by external apparatus it will be desirable to liquefy and fractionate the absorbed gas as'it will bemostly oxygen, and if the ship is large enough an apparatus on board of this character be -used,.such an apparatus being'available forthe replenish ng of the oxygen supply from the outside air. It shouldbe noted, however, that the charcoalabsorption apparatus may be used directly as a. fractionatory device under suitable. control of temperature and pressure, nitrogen beingless easily absorbed and more easily released in such manner, that the 'first'gas given. off on pumping is more predominantly nitrogen than the last. V

Oxygen, if necessary, may be added from a compressed supply. In general, however, this should be unnecessary. It is more convenient to c'arry' the oxygen at atmospheric pressure and mixed with the helium. "lhe small adjustment-involume can'be easily-taken care of by the ballonet above'mentione'd within the space.

When the pertight bulkheads.

' It will, in general, be wise to have gas-tight partitionsin the ship, similar in functionto. water Entrance and exit may be through gas-locks of conventional design.

- The structural system may be of the Zeppelin or external rib type, or it may be internal, and more like that existing in steel buildings. This should be advantageous in order to supply and support the decks which would be required to carry the larger number of passengers.

' This method may also be applied to aerial vehicles of the airplane type in which the volume of wings and fuselage is made very large in proportion to the area of wing surface, aswill always be the case as the size of airplanes is increased. There comes a time in this increase when the weight of air within the plane comes to have a relatively large proportion to that of the structure. ever, the weight of the structure comes tohave an unduly large proportion to the possible wingarea. It then becomes desirable to apply this invention to this type of vessel. Insofar as the effective weight can be lessened in this way, it will become possible to decrease the starting and landing speed, the angle of plane attack and of descent, and consequently the air'resistance and power necessary to operate at a given speed. It may also be possible to lighten thespecific weight of the plane to such an extentas to limit the speed of free fall to a speed not dangerous to plane or those therein.

It is to be understood that the methods outlined herein as to the operation of aerial vehicles are practicable through the use of various types of apparatus, and the drawings herewith are to be understood as general and diagrammatic.

In these drawings in which like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic representation of a rigid airship showing the method of controlling the buoyancy of the airship and the pressure Within the aerostat Without loss of fluid material.

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic representation more or less in the way of a flow sheet of the apparatus for carrying out the method of using carbon dioxide or other condensible gas in order to control the buoyancy of the airship according to the' method in Fig. 1 and hereinafter de-f scribed with reference thereto. 7

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic representation of the means outlined for preventing leakage of a buoyant gas from a closed space. r

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic representation, more or less in the way of a flow sheet, of a method for purifying the oxygen helium mixture within the aerostat from an absorbable gas such as carbon dioxide, as shown in Fig. 3 and hereinafter described with reference thereto.

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic representation of an airship moored to a mooring mast showing a method of carrying out passage of men and ma- At, or before this time, hoW- is the main, aerostat. of the ship; filled with the above outlinedbuoyant mixture of. oxygen and heliumand used for machinery, freight, quarters for passengers and crewand all-other useiulrpure; poses, "none :ofthese latter beingshow-n. It .is bounded by agas-tightwall 3-which may be of the structure shown in Fig. '1 or ofa more. usual type: It may be variously placed and in practice will be dividedby one or moregas-tight bulkheads, omit ted in theldrawings for the sake of clearness..-. It may, if convenient, be dividedintotwo ormmore non-contiguous sections, although in ordinaryoperationthese will be in gaseous communication with one another, usually by. passageways for passengers and crew. There may or may not, depending on "circum-I stances, be provided a space or spaces'2 filled with pure helium orother buoyant gas. There should be provided the spaces .4 shown here in the nose and tail of the ship in free communication with the outside air. and more orless filled therewith: Each of these spaces, andin general eaclrmainr subdivision of them, will be provided with'a gas holder of variable volume, here shown as i a ballonet, which in the case of the ballonets in space 4 will be filled with a condensible gas such" as carbon dioxide, and, in the case of those inv spaces 1 and 2, with air. The spaces :1, 2 and have such ballonets 5, 6 and 7-, respectively. :Thei' latter are shown in gaseous connection withlladuct system 8, suitable control valves ll being provided in the connection to each ballonetfl; One or more fans or pumps 12 maybe suppliedl-n the duct system. This system.:a.lso.connects-vvith the condensing system shown in Fig. 12 and the heat insulated bins 13, this part of the systembeing more extensively diagrammed in Fig. 2; 1 1 The various parts of the apparatus diagram matically shown in Fig. 1 operate as.follows,con trolling buoyancy of the airship as a wholez For example, let it be assumed thatthe airship starts out at sea level and ascends to an altitude of 1000 feet. At thestart'the ballonetsb and 6' will contain air,'the'ba llonet 7 containing carbon: dioxide. If the temperature is 20 C. and does not change during the ascent, the volume of the buoy-Q ant gas will increase 3.6%; if "the-volume of'space 1 be assumed to be 3,000,000.cu. ft.-the increase in" volume of the gas in this space would'be1c8;000 cu. ft. Thisvolume of air is accordingly vented from the ballonet 5 to the outside air, corresponding amounts being removed "from theballonets 6 depending on the'volume' of the'space 2. It is'now desired to decrease the buoyancy to stop the rise. I The apparatus shown in Fig. 2 is accordingly operated to convert more or less carbon dioxide from the gaseous to the solid state, gas being abstracted from the ballonets 7. In thisway the volume of the structure is diminished while its weight remains unchanged. It accordingly is less buoyant. The process is strictly reversible-with out loss of material. Trimming from fore to aft is accomplished either by condensing more or less carbon dioxide to the solid formi'nthe aft bin 13 as" distinguished from the forwardbin 13 or by shifting gas from one ballonet 7 to the other, rapid changes in trim being attained' in this latter'way. r I Referring now to Fig. 2, there is shown a varia-- ble volume/gasholder '7, representing the ballonets so designed in Fig.1. This is in communi-. cation with the heat insulated gas-tight bin 13 by the duct 14 suitably provided with a valv,e-15.; Into and out of the bin 13 lead two cyclic-iduct crease in buoyancy.

systems. The first leads out of the topof bin 13 and is provided with a valve 16; then follows :the ductl'? to the source of heat18; here shown as a heat exchangeautilizing the heat of the-motor exhaust; thence byaiduct 19, fan'20:and1duct 21 back to the bottom of bin 13, delivering belowthe screen-22; horizontally .placed therein. The sec nd cyclic system consists oira-ductx23 leadin fmmthe'top of bin 13, passing to :one-halfbf the heat exchanger 24, thence by duct 25 to the. high pressure compressor 26, thencelby high pressure piping 2'7.to the other halfofthe heat'exchanger 28,'thence bypipe .29-to the expansion valve and thence :back tobin 131 1 "Operation'isas'iollows: Y 1- x 1 (a). :To decrease-buoyancy. :The :compressor 26 is'opera-ted, liquefying carbon dioxide which in liquid form passes through 1 the expansionqvalve 30 whereby part is solidified falling as-a snow on the screen 22. Filtering cloths, not shown-may be provided above thissscreen. -The remaining cold gas passes backthrough the paths 23, 24,- :25 to-the compressor together with .such additional gas from the holders 7 as is required toi-make'up the original volume. .The cold gas in .itspassage through theiheat exchanger 24:-28 cools the high lyoompressed gasfrom the vcompressorto a tem perature where. it'will;take the liquid; staten In this way the volume. of the gas holders?! iscon- .i traeted and the=tota=l buoyancyof the ship iis lessened. 1

(b). To increase buoyancy. line-compressor 26 being-stopped and :theLfa'n 20.:beinggstarted; gas is carried by. ductlfl: to heater 1%, thence by path 19, 29rand'21back to bin 13 where ityaporize's a oer-1 tain amount :of solid 'acarbon: dioxide, the volume being'vaporized passing :out to the ,gas'holders 7. In this'iwaythe volumeioi ship is..-incre ased changing weight, -with;.consequent in- The onlypractical disadvantage to this system isthe :pressure necessary to solidify the carbon dioxide. 'can, if desired, :be obviated by us-. ing some other heavy gas such as methylene di-.

' chloride inplace of the carbon dioxide... This gas can he liquefied under relatively low pressure, but it"zisv believed the other advantages of carbon dioxide outweigh this disadvantage, particularly the fact that-an inexhaustible supply of the latter may .beobtained from the motor'exhaust. This isparticularly the case if the exhaust is supplied with a catalytic means of converting the carbon monoxidepresent .to carbon dioxideasuch ashas been suggested for 'motor cars. P s

j .JReferringinow to Fig.3., there issho'wn ythe space I1.filled withhelium andoxygenbr other buoyant gas. iszprovi-dedwith the double wallj3 consisting of an outer gas-tight-wall 79 inner' wall 79 and intermediate gassp'ace 7.7. A

'. possible construction i-s shown morein" detail-in -The space 1 is provided with an :cabsorption system mnre particularly shown in Fig.4, though even "there the'figureis diagrammatic. Through this system-circulates theatmosphereifilling: the

."7'7 heing kept ".slightiy :above that ireigning" in;

space 1 which is at .the pressure of. the. :external atmosphere.=i .Some'; leakage; will presumably:.bc+ our in the. direction, of .theshort arrows, thatr'is. inward towards; the space 1. and outward. towards the atmosphere. Such leakage as occurs inward; if supplied from the, gas 11011181817 without that space, ,will not change'thebuoyancy or totalzvol+ LlIl16.. Theleakage .outwardwill result in smaller total volumebut the loss will be of ages heavier than air, so that a? slight increase in buoyancy will take place. Adjustment theretomay easily be made. by the methods shown above..---. 5r. Fig. ishows the carbon dioxide absorption sys; tem shownas part 0.1" Fig. 3but in moredetail: Itisof a usual typeiexcept for modification .in the directionof using. .very'. little absorbing. liquid: For this reason both absorption and regeneration of theoarbondioxide isby. apparatus 'of'the sp'r'ay type; The absorber is shown at=38 and 'consists of=a closed chamber in the bottom of which area plurality :of spray jets. The atmosphere in space 1 is circulated through the chamber 38; by. the fan .40 entering by the duct 32 and leaving by-the' duct 33; The-.spray nozzles} are supplied byx al solution of analkaline. carbonate or other efiicient absorption liquid,- this liquid circulating .cycli'cly along,,.the.path.39, 38,;42,-43,;i4, 45, 46;.4f1j'485 7 That is, itis forced b'y-the-pu'mp 4'8'through pipes 49 tothe spray nozzles39 intothe chamber :38; From here it passes tothe pump 2,the. heat ex changer 43 the heater 43;. the pipes 44 leadlhg to the spray-nozzle 45 in the bottomofitheregenerating chamber. 46. Here; the hot? spray evaporates impart, both carbon-dioxide and water" vapor'being drivenrofi. The exhausted solution passes then by the returnpipeAfl to. the pump-4&- toqcontinue the .cycle. The carbon dioxide'iianci. water .va-porevolved in the chamber 46 pass'by theduct to the condenser .50 where thelwater vapor is condensed. .Thewater'passes backto'thecyclici systemby. the pipe 41. .-:.The carbon dioxidepasse's from; the condenser .50 to the duct. 34 and thence totheconducting-system 35 shown in Fig. :2; 1;Fig.'.-5 shows 'aconvenientmethod of docking. suchan airship. While shown as docking at mooring mast,the same'method is used when the shipisin ahangar. The mooring mast is shown provided-"with I a gas-tight chamber iOi well-:5 1: ex tending from a gas-tight chamber 52 lo'ated at' the ground level; .Atthe-topof the chamber-5E is avertically '.rotatablei dome 53. This is shown as resting on the annular floatfi floating in the annular mercury trough 55 hermetically secured to the top of the chamber 51. However, any other gas -tight means .of affording free vertical rotation of the dome 53could b'e'usedi In the hangar this" motion would, of 1 course; be: unnecessary. chanical means within the dome 53 will be pro vided-to take care of .thetstressesaon it whenan airship'is .mooredithereto: One-side of the some 53 is provided-with a 'gas tightdoor diagrammatii cally shown by'the dotted line 56. 2 Connection with the; nose-.of the airship in whichis thega s tight door ,57 is made-by. the flexible, tubular gas; tightjstructurefil which may be in the 'form of an: accordionbellows'. There may be"provided=moor'- ing Icableslin addition; Entranc'e to the spac'f52f maybe-by various. types of gas-lock. --In addition to the typeshownin Fig.6, vacuum locks maybe used. :for freight.) A convenient lock for both men and materials is one containing carbon dioxide andlyingbelow' thele'vel of the floor '0? the :space .52; :This is shownat '58 andf59 as 'a simple passageway,tconsistirig of a d 'escending aiid? ascendingifiightni stairs closed in the 'cente'r w a vertical door 60 not-necessarily completely gastight, and at the entrance and exits by horizontal slides 61 and 62. Passage through a lock of this kind will result in a very little contamination of the carbon dioxide in the side 58 by the air, very little loss of the carbon dioxide in the side 59 into the space 58 or the space 52, and almost no final loss of the helium oxygen mixture. Such admixture as occurs may be taken care of by the two absorption systems 63 and 64 similar to that pictured in Fig. 4. The purified carbon dioxide will be delivered to the bottom of the spaces 58 and 59 and the impure carbon dioxide will be taken from near the top of these spaces, the admixed air in one case being rejected and the admixed helium and oxygen in the other being returned to the space 52.

Fig. 6 shows in plan a type of lock valuable because, with considerable simplicity of means, small loss of valuable gas will occur in operation. It consists of a chamber 65 of any convenient shape provided with gas-tight doors 66 and 67 to the exterior and closed space, respectively. Valves 68 and 69 similarly communicate to the exterior and to the closed space, respectively. Attached to the two other vertical walls 70 by their peripheries are the two pieces of thin, flexible and elastic rubber 71, and back of the attachments are the ports 72 communicating with the pressure system '73 by the three-way valve '74.

Operation is as follows:

The door 67 being closed and therubber in th relaxed position shown in dotted line, the door 66 is opened and an object 76, say a person, is placed therein. The door 66 is closed, the valve 68 is opened, and the three-way valve '74 turned so that gas underpressure is introduced back of the flexible rubber 71 which now assumes the position 75 closely enveloping the object '76. If a person be in the lock he may breathe through a tube, not shown, or with a Mommsen lung. The valve 68 is now closed, valve 69 opened, and valve 74 turned to the venting position. The rubber 71, accordingly, returns to the relaxed position shown in dotted line. The door 6'7 can now be opened and the object 76 pass into the closed space. In order to pass an object in the reverse direction the same method will be used, the cycle of operations 'being' reversed.

Fig. 7 shows a possible type of wall provided with a central gas space such as is contemplated in the device outlined in Fig. 3 and described with reference thereto. A central coarse, loosely woven fabric 7'? has applied to it on eachside the fine rubberized fabric 78 such as balloon cloth, which may have applied to its outer side the coating of rubber 79,'the whole structure being vulcanized together. I

It will thus be seen that I have provided a meth- 0d of operation for airships which has the following advantages over previous practice:

In the first place, it is now possible, by following the teachings of this invention, to increase greatly the useful load of an airship lighter than air in proportion to the weight and cost of the structure, in comparison with the proportion of useful load to total structure found. possible hitherto. This increase will make the use of an airship so constructed and operated economically possible in competition with other types of rapid transportation. In addition, as I have shown, this method is applicable to the construction of very large airplanes where the weight of the displaced aircomes to bear a large proportion: to

the weight of the structure, and removes the theoretical "upper limit to the size of such air planes. e I have shown also a method=of controlling the buoyancy of an airship which involvesnoi loss of material, making more possible long voyages and numerous changes of. level "without landing,'land making control of-buoyancy when liquid fuels are used far more easy, I have shown a method of filling airshipsprovided with aerostats with rigid wallsLwhich is rapid, economical ofgas, and positive. r 1 e; I have shown a methodof'controlling pressure in such a rigidaerostat with-coincident: control. of buoyancy, involving no lossofmaterial; T i I have also shown a method df'preventing-leakage from an aerostat to a'verylarge' extent.

I have further shown methods of docking-a looking into and out of an airship 'containing buoyant respirable gas.

"All. these methods, wane arm'mg, meof the general method outlined herein, may 'be used separately or in combinatiomas will be apparent to those skilled in theart to :which this invention appertains. if 1 P Furthermore, it is to be understood that these methods and'the combinations ther'eof forming the particular procedure set'forth, are presented for purposes of explanation" and illustratiomvarious modifications of theprocedure being-possible without departing. from my invention as defined in the appended claims. w WhatIclaimis: y "1*: 1. In the operation ofan aerial'vehiclerthe method of operation "which consists in' closing hermetically the space designed for crew'an'd pas:-' sengers, machinery or other load, and-filling :the' space with a gaseous mixture consisting substa'n tially of oxygen and helium; the oxygen being present in suflicient amounts to support respiration. a 3 1.' 2. In the operation of an aerial-vehicle,=the method of operation which consists in closing hermetically the space designedtfor crew and pass sengers, machinery'or other load, andfilling the space with-a'gaseous mixture consisting substanw. tially of oxygen and helium, the oxygen-being present in-suflicient. amounts to support respiration, and absorbing the carbon dioxide resulting: from respiration and removing it from :the space. 3. Inthe operation .of an' aerial vehicle, the method-of operation which consists in closing hermetically the space'designed for crew and passengers, machinery or other load, and filling the space with a gaseous mixture consisting substantiallyof oxygen and helium, the oxygen being present in suificient amountfto support respira-- tion, andabsorbing I the carbon dioxide resulting; from respiration and removing it from the space by absorption in aliquid and subsequently boil-f ing' thisliq'uidin ordersato free it from:- the ab; sorbed carbon dioxide and regenerate it for further use.

' 4. In the" ope'rationiof an aerial vehicle; the method of operation which/consists in "closing hermetically the space designed ior crew. and passengers, machinery or other: load, and filling: the space with a gaseous mixture .consisting sub-1 stantially of oxygen and helium,..the oxygen be-t ing present in sufiicient.amountsto'support relit spiration, and absorbingthe-.carbon di0XidBTfr-l sulting from respirationby absorption in'a "solu'-- and removing: it

tion of an alkalinecarbonate from'the space;

5. In 'theoperation of'an mama-42 hermetically" the space' designedlfor crew and4 sengers, machinery or I other load, :and fillin ithe space with a gaseous mixture 'consisting' substan tially of oxygen and-helium; the oxygen Ibeing present in: sufficient amounts -to support respira non,- absorbing the carbon dioxide resultingi'fro'm respiration and removing it :"fro'mthe space by absorption in an alkaline solution of a carbonate, and boiling the solution subsequently in order to free it from the absorbed carbon dioxide.

6. The method of controlling the buoyancy of an aerial vehicle which consists in changing the air displacement of the vehicle Without changing its weight by providing a body of gaseous carbon dioxide held in a gas holder outside the main aerostat of the ship, and a body of carbon dioxide in the solid state contained within a heat insulated holder, and providing means whereby the gaseous carbon dioxide may be transformed to the solid state, and vice versa.

'7. The method of controlling the buoyancy of an aerial vehicle by varying the volume of the vehicle which is displaced by air without varying the weight thereof,-which consists in increasing the buoyancy by changing a body of carbon dioxide from the solid state to the gaseous state and decreasing the buoyancy by varying the carbon dioxide from the gaseous to the solid state.

8. The method of holding a buoyant gas within a confined space which consists in surrounding said buoyant gas with a wall consisting of two relatively gas-tight partitions separated by a gaseous space, leading a condensible gas into the space between two relatively gas-tight partitions surrounding the main space at pressures slightly above that reigning within the confined space, so that such leakage as occurs will be of the condensible gas and inward into the space, and purifying the buoyant gas of the condensible gas.

9. The method of holding a buoyant gas within a confined space in an aerial vehicle which consists in surrounding saidbuoyant gas with a wall consisting of two relatively gas-tight partitions separated by a cellular space, leading carbon dioxide gas into the space between the two relatively gas-tight walls at pressures slightly above that reigning within the confined space so that such leakage as occurs will be of carbon dioxide and inward into the space, and purifying the buoyant gas of the carbon dioxide.

10. The method of holding a buoyant gas within a confined space in an aerial vehicle which consists in surrounding said buoyant gas with a wall consisting of two relatively gas-tight par- "-titions separated by a cellular space, leading a condensible gas into the cellular structure at pressures slightly above that reigning within the confined space so that such leakage as occurs will be of the condensible gas and inward into the space, and purifying the buoyant gas of the condensible gas, the condensible gas within'the cellular space being caused to fiow to and from a purifying apparatus. 7 V

11. The method of holding a buoyant gas within a confined space in an aerial vehicle, which consists in surrounding said buoyant gas with a wall consisting of two relatively gas-tight partitions separated by a cellular space, leading a condensible gas into the cellular structure at pressures slightly above that reigning within the confined space so that such leakage as occurs will be of the condensible gas and inward into the space, and purifying the buoyant gas of the con-, densible gas, such gas comprising carbon dioxide.

12. The method of looking into and out of a confined space containing a :buoyantgas, :which consists inproviding aspace below the level'aof that reigning within the confined space so that i such leakage as occurs will be of the condensible gas and inward into the space, and purifying the buoyant gas of the condensible gas, such gas comprising carbon dioxide.

14. The method of filling an aerostat having relatively rigid walls with a buoyant gas which consists in leading into the bottom of the space an easily condensible gas, removing the condensible fraction of the issuing gas, re-gasifying this fraction and returning it to the circulation, and discarding the noncondensible portion, until air has been substantially eliminated from the space, then leading buoyant gas into the top of the space, removing the condensible fraction from the gas issued at the bottom, returning the uncondensible fraction to the circulation until the condensible gas is substantially removed from the space. I

15. The method of filling an aerostat having relatively rigid walls with a buoyant gas which consists in leading in the bottom of the space an easily condensible gas, removing the condensible fraction of the issuing gas, and discarding the non-condensible portion until air has been substantially eliminated from the space, then leading buoyant gas into the top of the space, removing the condensible fraction from the gas issuing at the bottom, returning the uncondensible fraction to the circulation until the condensible gas is substantially removed from the mixture and the buoyant gas alone remains in the space.

, 16. The method of filling an aerostat having relatively rigid walls with a buoyant gas which consists in leading in the bottom of the space an easily condensible gas, removing the condensible fraction of the issuing gas, regasifying this fraction and returning it to'the circulation, and discarding the non-condensible portion until air has been substantially eliminated from the space,

condensible fraction to the circulation until the condensible gas is substantially removed from the ixture and the buoyant gas alone remains in the space, such condensible gas comprising'carbon dioxide.

stantially eliminated from the space, then leading buoyantgas into the top of the space, removing the condensible fraction from the gas issuing at the bottom, returning the uncondensible fraction to the circulation until the condensible gas is substantially removed from the mixture abstracting heat fromsaid chemical body in its gaseous state until condensation of a portion of saidchemical body in the gaseous state occurs or evaporating, a portionof said chemical body fromsaid denserlstate to the gaseous state by impartingheat thereto, in order to decrease or increasethebuoyancy of said aerial vehicle.

STERNE MORSE. 

